Book binding means and books bound thereby



Feb. 20, 1962 w. D. DAYTON 3,022,093

BOOK BINDING MEANS AND BOOKS BOUND THEREBY Filed April 8, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

United tates 3,022,693 BOOK BINDING MEANS AND BOOKS BOUND THEREBY Ward D. Dayton, Morse Lake, Bloomingdale, NJ. Filed Apr. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 895,081 3 Claims. (Cl. 281-45) The present invention relates to novel book binding means and books bound thereby, and more particularly to the combination with book-forming elements, including relatively hard and thick front and back covers and a plurality of relatively soft and thin filler sheets, of binding means for said elements, said binding means being initially and/or in the process of formation in the form of wire staples and being formed to their final form incident to the binding operation per se.

In the past it has been customary to bind books, including, for example, stenographers notebooks and other pamphlets, with spiral wire, which is threaded into suitable perforated cover sheets and filler sheets by a screwing-in operation, and wherein the spiral wire is suitably handled and finished off so as to prevent the cut ends of the wire from injuring persons or things coming into contact with the bound book. This in practice permits all of the sheets of the book being rotated substantially 360 about the binding. It is a general object of the present invention to provide a binding means, usable with books of this general character, which shall be capable of similar use in that the front cover and the filler sheets may be rotated substantially 360 about the binding and with respect to the back cover.

In addition, the present invention affords a somewhat simpler and cheaper manner of binding books of this general nature than that described hereinabove as a part of the prior art, while still retaining the advantageous features thereof.

Summarizing the present invention, it comprises the provision of book-forming elements, including relatively hard and thick front and back covers and a plurality of relatively soft and thin filler sheets, printed or otherwise, and wire binding means for these book-forming elements. The invention particularly pertains to the wire binding means and the manner in which such means are used in connection with the book-forming elements. In accordance with this invention, the front cover and the filler sheets are all perforated with aligned perforations adjacent to the rear or back edge of the book and at spaced intervals to receive the staple binding means, while the back cover is initially imperrorate. When the staplelike wire binding means is applied, with the leg portion of each staple-like Wire element piercing and extending through the back cover, these leg portions will be in close frictional contact with the back cover, while extending freely through the perforations in the other elements of the book. The extended leg portions of each staple-like wire element may then be curled around, substantially in planes perpendicular to the cross portion of each wire element, so that the free ends of the leg portions may be extended into and preferably through and in any event in close frictional contact with the back cover adjacent to the points in the back cover through which the leg portions initially extended respectively. Thus the ends of the wire binding elements, which are relatively sharp, will be prevented from injuring persons or property and may come into contact with the bound book as a whole.

As a further detailed feature of the present invention, it is contemplated that in a book having a substantial length of back or binding edge portion, there will be a plurality, rather than a single one of the staple-like wire elements used; although it is contemplated that for ceratent 9 ice 3,022,093 Patented Feb. 20, 1962 tain'purposes only one such element may be needed. In the event that a plurality of such elements are used, the cross portions of each of the staple-like elements will usually be used in a single line along and parallel with the back of the book.

Further features of the present invention involve the provision of two separate but cooperating means for preventing rotation of the wire members with respect to the back cover with which such wire members are intended 0 to be substantially rigid. The first of these means comprises a torsional prestressing of the loop portions which are formed by the legs of the staple-like wire elements. To this end the legs of these staple-like elements, once they have initially passed through the back cover and have passed through the perforations in the filler sheets and in the front cover, will be formed into a substantially helical form, so that in an unstressed condition the ends of these leg portions would be disposed a substantial distance from the points through which the leg portions initially pass through the back cover. However, the ends of the leg portions are in fact passed into and preferably through the back cover at points closely adjacent to the points through which these leg portions initially pass through the back cover. This results in a torsional stress,

rnents from rotating with respect to the back cover, is

that the end portions of the legs of the wire-like or staple-like elements are passed through the back cover in directions with substantial angles to the directions through which these same leg portions initially pass through the back cover respectively. The angularity between these two passes is practically effective to prevent any substantial rotation of the wire-like elements with respect to the back cover and about the loop portions.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a book bound in accordance with the present invention as seen from the top above the front cover;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 as seen from the bottom and particularly showing the back cover;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view, with parts broken away and in vertical section substantially on the broken line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, substantially in vertical section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a view substantially in perspective, showing one of the staple-like wire elements in its final form in full lines and also showing in broken lines an earlier form of the leg portions of this element.

Turning now to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated book-forming elements such as are used in making up a stenographers notebook, for example, and including a top cover 10, a back cover 11 and a plurality of filler sheets 12. The top and back covers 10 and 11 are relatively thick with respect to the filler sheets and also are relatively hard with respect to these filler sheets As shown, the top cover 10 and the filler sheets 12 are perforated with aligned holes indicated at 13, while the back cover 11 is initially imperforate, the perforations 13 being arranged adjacent to the ,back or bin-ding edge of the book, which is indicated in the accompanying drawings at 14.

.The present invention provides binding means for the elements 10-12, this binding means comprising at least one wire member which at one stage in its formation is of staple-like form, i.e. with a cross-portion shown at 15, and a pair of initially substantially parallel leg portions 16, these leg portions as indicated in FIG. in broken lines extending substantially parallel to each other. and substantially at right angles to the cross-portion 15. While in this substantially staple-shaped position, each wire member is forced through the back cover 11, so that the parallel leg portions pierce the back cover as shown best at the left in FIG. 3; while being in close frictional contact therewith and so that the cross-portion 15 of each e member will be disposed closely adjacent to theback cover and substantially parallel to the back edge 14 of the book. The holes 13 are of substantially greater diameter than the outside diameter of the wire of which the wire member 15-16 is formed, so that the leg portions 16 extend freely through the holes 13. Following, or possibly as a part of the insertion of each' wire member as foresaid, the leg portions 16 thereof are 7 formed into loops as shown at 17. These loops, when the book is laying on a horizontal surface, will be disposed su'ostantially in vertical planes perpendicular to the cross-portion 15 and perpendicular to the rear 14 of the book. As such, the. outer ends 18 of the leg portions will extend at least into and preferably completely through the back cover at points adjacent to those where the respective leg portions extended through the rear cover as aforesaid. The ends 18 of the leg portions preferably extend completely through the back cover 11, so as to be anchored therein in a special manner as hereinafterdescribed so as to preserve the relatively rigid relationship'with the back cover of the book. In this ranged so that in its unstrained condition, it has a right hand thread-typehelical twist. Thus, the rear portion'of the loop 17 at the right in FlG. 2 has a portion 19, which is disposed to the right of the point 20 where the leg portion first passes through the rear cover 11. Similarly, the loop 17 shown at'tne left in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a portion 21, which is disposed 'to the left of the point 22 where this leg portion first passes through the rear cover 11. If the leg portions were left in their unstraiued condition, the ends 18 thereof would be spaced laterally'asubstantial distance from the points 20 and 22 respectively. However, the ends 18 are shown penetrating through the rear cover at points closely adjacent to the points 20 and 22, which is accomplishedby imparting a torsional stress to the wire forming each loop portion 17. This torsional stress or prestressing, as it may be termed, results in there being a force effective on the end portions 13 tending to move them laterally away from the points 20 and 22 re spectively. This lateral force assists in practice in anchoring the wire ends 13 with'respect to the back cover ll and hence assists materially in preventing relative rotation between the wire member 15-46 as an entirety and the back cover '11 about the loops 17 The other feature of the invention which also cooperates in securing this same desirable result is that the ends 18 of thewires extend through the back cover ll in directions which are at substantial angles to the directions at which the same wires or leg portions thereof extend initially through the back cover. This is'best shown in FIG. 4, in which the leg portions 16 extended initially through the back cover l lin a substantially vertical direction; Whereas the ends 18 which are later extended through the back cover, are disposed at an angle of about therewith. The angularity of the directions in which these two portions of the same Wire extend through the a back cover of the book is effective practically to retard,

way, the ends 18,;which' are likely to be-sharp and could injure persons or property with whichthey came into contact, are protected from contact with such persons or property, so as to render the binding safe in use and so as to protect persons using the so-bound book from injury by the ends 18 of the leg portions 16.-

While it is contemplated that there may be some books or booklets which will require only one wire member 1516 as aforesaid in elfecting a minimum-type binding, it is contemplated that many books, including particularly those having relatively long back edges 14, will require the use of a plurality of such wire-binding means, each of which may be constructed generally as aforesaid and each of which is inserted and operates as previously particularly described. Under such circumstances the cross-portions 15 of all the wire binding means used will usually be disposed in a single line along the back of the book substantially parallel to the back edge 14 thereof.

Means 'are provided in accordance with the present invention as generally set forth hereinabove for assuring that the wire members 1516 will be substantially rigidly .anchored with respect to the back'cover 11 of the book. These means are two-fold in character, but actually both operate to secure the same common result and to some extent at least both cooperate together in securing that result. 1

The first of these means is that theleg portion 15 of the wire members are curved around, not exactly in planesperpendicular to the cross-portion 15 thereof, but

are in fact each curved in a substantially helical manner generally indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the right hand leg portion (FIG. 1 is formed in a loop 17 which has a substantially left hand thread-type helical twist; 'while the, l g por i n hown at the left in FIG. 1 is artion between the wire-like elements and the back cover of the book about the loops 17. Thus, while the front cover ltl'an'd the filler sheets 12 may be freely rotatedabout the loop portions i7 and with respect to the back cover throughout substantially 360, the provisions hereby made will result inthe binding wires 15- 16 being substantially stationary or rigid with the back cover, so that there is no'reian've rotation or other movement therebetween. This results in a more permanent and desirable binding construction than would be had if rotation of V the wires with respect to the back cover were permitted.

The whole arrangement provides a relatively cheap, easily and quickly applied binding means for books, such for example, as stenographer's notebooks, but is not lirn-' ited to this type books (or even to unprinted books),

while still permitting the freedom of movement of the pages with respect to the back cover throughout a substantially 360 swing, which is characteristic of some of the presently available, but more expensively-bound books with which the art is nowfamiliar'as aforesaid.

While an attempt has been made to point out equivastill other equivalents will occur to thoseskilled in'the art from the present disclosure. I do. not wish to be limited, therefore, except by the scope of the appended claims, which are to be construed validly as broadly as the state of the art permits.

- Whatis claimed is: p r

l. The combination with book-forming elements including relatively hard and thick front and back covers and a plurality of relatively soft and thin filler sheets, of binding means for said elements, comprising at least one wire member, each said wire member including a cross portion and two leg portions, each said wire member having its leg portions extended through and in tight frictional contact with said back cover and having its cross portion closely adjacent to the outside of said back cover, aligned holes formed in said front'cover and in said filler sheets of a size substantially greater than the diameter of the wire of which each of said wire members is formed, and perforations in said back cover at the binding edge of said book-forming elements through which portions of said members extend said leg portions of each said wire member extending freely through said aligned holes but are in tight frictional contact with said back cover and being formed into loop portions, each of which is disposed substantially in a plane perpendicular to the cross portion of each said wire member, and the ends of each of said leg portions extending at least a substantial distance into and in close frictional contact with said back cover at points respectively closely adjacent to those through which said leg portions extended as aforesaid, so as to protect persons using the so-bound book from injury by the ends of said leg portions and so that the frictional contacts between each said wire member and said back cover will tend to prevent relative movement of these parts.

2. A binding means for book-forming elements in accordance with claim 1, each of said loop portions having the ends of its said leg portions normally spaced a substantial distance from the leg portions, said leg portions cordance with claim 1, in which the ends of said leg portions are at substantial angles with respect to the said leg portions, so that the angularity between the two passes of each of said leg portions through said back cover will serve to oppose any tendency to rotate said wire members with respect to said back cover and about said loop portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,652 Hackmann et a1 Jan. 2, 1906 FOREIGN PATENTS 164,798 Australia Aug. 25, 1955 

